Douro Boys to auction special anniversary cuvée – and surfing lessons

The ‘Douro Boys’ will celebrate their fifth anniversary with an auction of 500 magnums of a special cuvee – and a variety of special lots.

The sale, to be held November 30 in Portugal, will be handled by Peter Mansell, associate director of Christie’s international wine department. It is open to both consumers and the trade.

The directors of Quinta do Vallado, Niepoort, Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vale D. Maria and Quinta do Vale Meão blended the best barrels from the 2005 vintage and have bottled them into 500 magnums of Douro Boys Cuvée.

Estimated at €120 (£84) apiece, they will be auctioned in 30 lots which also include private dinners, boat trips and rounds of golf at the Oporto Golf Club, all accompanied by the Douro boys themselves.

Lot 6, which starts at €480, consists of six magnums of the cuvee and three hours of private surfing lessons with Miguel Roquette of Quinta do Crasto. Lot 23 is 18 Magnums as well as three bottles of Niepoort’s Robustus 1990, which has never been released.

‘The idea for doing a cuvee was developed years ago, but the challenge was always going to be how to sell it,’ said Dorli Muhr, spokesperson for the Douro Boys.

Muhr said the only way to give generate excitement – and revenue – from 500 lots of the same item was to add value by including other desirable features.

The Douro Boys joined forces in 2002 to promote the Douro as a quality still wine region.